Rep. Julie Harhart (R-Lehigh/Northampton) will offer her monthly veterans outreach hours 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 5 in her Northampton district office, located at 2030 Center St., Northampton.
A veterans outreach specialist from the American Legion in...

The cold temperatures couldn't stop the festive fun at the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce's 26th annual Snow Ball at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center Feb. 7.
More than 500 people turned out for the black tie dinner-dance combined with a silent...

A large group turned out at Covenant United Methodist Church in Moore Township on Thursday night to air concerns about the proposed PennEast natural gas pipeline project and get questions answered.
The meeting was organized by state Reps. Julie Harhart,...

Swearing-in ceremony for Legislature
The new two-year legislative session officially began Dec. 1. But the newly elected and re-elected full-time legislators will take the oath of office Tuesday.
The swearing-in ceremonies for 203 members of the House...

State House Speaker-Designate Mike Turzai announced on Monday the names of the Republicans and Democrats who will chair 23 legislative committees for the next two years.
Republicans will control each committee based on their 119-84 majority when the 2015-16 legislative cycle begins with Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony.
The committee positions are based on seniority and do not come with any additional pay. Lawmakers indicted for crimes are precluded from serving as committee chairs.
House...

At Saturday's League of Women Voters Forum in South Whitehall, Terri Powell demonstrated why she's the best choice for the 183rd District on Election Day.
Clearly, there's a need for a change. After 20 years of failed leadership and four years of rubber-stamping Tom Corbett's failed budgets and agenda, it's time for Julie Harhart to retire or change careers. A majority of voters want an increase in the minimum wage, real Medicaid Expansion, protection for our forests and water, an extraction tax on...

Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski has called for the repeal of a local gun law that could open up the city to a costly lawsuit, thanks to a move by the state Legislature.
In the final minutes of the legislative session Monday, lawmakers approved a bill that clears the way for the National Rifle Association and other groups to sue municipalities that enact ordinances stricter than state firearms laws.
That's bad news for Allentown, where since 2008 a law has been on the books that requires the owners of...

Julie Harhart Photos

State lawmakers will now have some say in how Pennsylvania meets new federal clean air regulations limiting carbon emissions from power plants.
Gov. Tom Corbett signed legislation Wednesday that gives the House or Senate the ability to veto, at least initially, the state's blueprint for complying with pending U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations designed to reduce power plants' carbon emissions.
The law, the PA Greenhouse Gas Regulation Implementation Act, injects a new level of politics...

Democrat Terri Powell praises Republican Julie Harhart's constituent services.
And she finds her to be "a nice lady. People think she's a nice lady."
But Powell also says a good legislator needs to be and do more. She describes Harhart as a partisan voter in lock-step with Gov. Tom Corbett's agenda, including cuts in classroom spending on public education.
"Somebody tells her how to vote and she votes," Powell asserted. "She doesn't think for herself."
Michael Molovinsky, an Independent candidate also...

Democrat Peter Schweyer will be joining incumbent Republican Justin Simmons in the state House next year, after both scored big victories Tuesday.
With all 27 precincts reporting, Schweyer had an unofficial 70 percent of the vote for the newly created 22nd state House District, while his opponent, Republican Steven Ramos, had 30 percent. Tuesday was the first election for the new district since it was moved to the Lehigh Valley from Allegheny County by a 2013 court decision.
Schweyer, 36, a six-year...